Controlling stop-cock for beer apparatus.



No. 876,724. PATENTED JAN. 14, 1908.-

c. MELDAU. CONTROLLING STOP 000K FOR BEER APPARATUS.

APPLICATION I'ILED NOV. 13. 1906.

THE NoRms PE1ERS cm, WASHINGTON, o c,

I to be turned on and the tus with my improved controlling stop-cockCHARLES MELDAU, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CONTROLLING STOP-COCK FOR BEER APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14, 1908.

Application filed N vember 13, 1906. Serial No. 343.254-

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, .OnAnLEs MELDAU, a citizen of the United States,residing in New York, in the borough of Manhattan, county and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inControlling Stop-Cocks for Beer Apparatus, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to stop-cocks for beer apparatus and has amongits objects to furnish such a device by which the passage of beer to thedispensing-faucet and of air to the barrel is controlled by one spigot,by means of which the beer-supply pipe is also opened to the passage ofwater when said supply-pipe and the air-pipe are closed by said spigot.I

A further object of the invention is to provide a stop-cock which isentirely independent of the faucet from which the beer is drawn andwhich is interposed between said faucet and the barrel in such a mannerthat the beer-supply pipe is divided into two parts, provision beingmade for flushing these parts independently. By this arrangement it isnot necessary to have the water-pipe eX- tend through the ice-box to thefaucet.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device by which thepressure upon the beer in the cooling-coil can be controlled.

A still further object of the invention is to furnish a device by whichthe flushing of the pipes before a new barrel is tapped is madeabsolutely necessary. This is caused by the fact that when such a barrelis tapped the airpressure has to be turned off and the device is soconstructed that this turning off of the pressure will automaticallycause the water pipes to be flushed. In this manner the cleansing of thepipes is not left to the pleasure of the bartender.

With these ends in view, the invention consists in the novel features ofconstruction and combinations of parts to described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a sideelevation of abeer apparashown in position thereon, Fig. 1 is a frontelevation of thestop-cock drawn on a larger scale than in Fig. 1, Fig. 2 is a verticalsection on line 2, 2, Fig. 1 showing my improved controlling stop-cockin open position so as to supply beer from the barrel to the coolingcoil of the faucet and air under pressure to the barrel, Fig. 3 is asimilar section, showing be hereinafter the stop-cock in closed positionand ready to supply water for the cleaning of the pipes of thecooling-coil of the faucet, Figs. 2 and 3 being drawn on a larger scale,and Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section on line 4, 4, Fig. 3.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the controlling stop-cock of abeer apparatus of the well-l nown construction. The main supply-pipe aof the stop-cock A is connected with a barrel B, which is usuallylocated in the basement below the bar or other place at which thefermented liquid is drawn for use. Parallel with the main supply-pipe ais arranged an air-supply pipe I) by which the air is supplied underpressure to the barrels so as to lift the contents of the latter to thecooling-coil O, which is located in the bar and connected with adischargefaucet F for drawing off the beer or other liquid in coldstate. Between the main supply-pipe a and air-supply pipe I) is arrangeda water-supply pipe (I which is connected at its upper end with thebeer-supply pipe. The main supply-pipe, air-pipe and water pipe areconnected by a transverse, conical, tapering body or casing c for theconical spigot c of the stop-cock, said spigot being provided with ahandle c at the front end and a washer e and a fastening-nut e at theopposite end so as to be held tightly in the bushing of the pipes. Thespigot is provided with two parallel openings or channels 0, 0, theopening 0 being of the same size as the interior of the beer-supplypipe, while the channel 0 corresponds to the size of the air-pipe. Whenthe stop-cock is turned into open position, with the handle in downwarddirection, as shown in Fig. 2, the openings 0, 0 establish communicationbetween the beer and air pipes and permit the airpressure to act on theliquid in the barrel and the latter to rise from the barrel to thecooling coil, and then to the dispensing-faucet F. A third channel 0 islocated. at right angles to the openings 0, 0 The size of the channel 0corresponds to the interior diameter of the water-supply pipe. When thestop-cock is placed in position so as to close the main supply-pipe andairpipe, communication is established between the open ing 0 and thewater-supply pipe, as shown in Fig. 3. In this position the handle a isin horizontal position.

In a plane at right angles to the plane of of the valve-seat for thebeer, water and air supply-pipes, is arranged a by-pass pipe 9 whichcommunicates at its upper and lower ends with the beersupply pipe a,respectively above and be low the spigot e of the stop-cock. At themiddle portion of the by-pass pipe 9 is arranged a valve-seat g and avalve 9 the stem of which passes through the cap of the valve-chamberand which is provided at its outer end with a handle 9 by which thevalve 9 can be screwed on the valve-seat or moved away from the same.The valveseat is made smaller than the valve-chamher so that a channelis arranged alongside the passage of water. The air-pipe may be omittedfrom the controlling stop-cock in some cases, the main feature of theinvention being the combination of the beer-supply pipe with thewaterpipe so that the cleaning operation can be accomplished immediatelyafter the barrel is emptied, both at the upper part of the supply-pipeand the lower part of the same. When the controlling stop-cock is usedin the ordinary manner for drawing off beer or other fermented liquidsthe valve g of the by-pass pipe is closed on the valve-seat, so that nowater can pass through the by-pass pipe. The stop-cock is then openedand the liquid lifted from the barrel to the main supply-pipe a, throughthe cooling-coil C, to the faucet F, so as to be drawn off for thecustomer. The air-pressure is applied to the air-pipe until the barrelis emptied. The beer-supply and air-pipe are opened at the same time bybringing the openings 0, 0 together when the faucet is opened. When thebarrel is empty the faucet is closed,

I and thereby the beer-supply and air-supply pipes closed off from thebarrel. At the same time, however, the connection .of the opening 0in-the spigot of the stop-cock with the water-supply pipe is establishedand water forced through the main supply-pipe, the cooling-coil andfaucet so as to throoughly clean the same, ready for connecting with thenext barrel. After the main supply-pipe, cooling-coil and faucet arethoroughly cleaned by the water passing through the same, the by-passvalve g is opened, as shown in Fig. 4, and water then supplied throughthe water-pipe d, passes around the closed stopcock, V I same connectingitwith the barrel, so that that portion of the then the water isdischarged. After the lower part of the pipe is cleaned the by-passvalve is closed again and the stop-cock of the water-supply pipe closed.The connection of the lower ends of the main supplypipe and air-supplypipe with the barrel is then restored and the stopcock placed again inopen position, as shown in Fig. 4, by which the beer or other liquid isagain supplied to the dispensing-faucet F.

into the pipe below the beer-supply pipe is It is obvious that thepositions of the beer, water and air channels relatively to each othermay be altered to meet the different requirements of the controllingstop-cock.

My improved stop-cock for beer apparatus has the advantage that not onlythe supply-pipe, cooling-coil and dispensingfaucet can be cleaned by thesimple turning of the controlling stop-cock from its open into itsclosed position, but that also by the by-pass pipe and auxiliary by-passvalve the lower portion of the beer-supply pipe leading to the barrelcan be cleaned, and thereby all the supply-pipes of the beer apparatusplaced in good and clean condition before the next barrel is tapped foruse and sale.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. In beer apparatus, the combination, of a beer-pipe leading from thebarrel, a pipe for supplying air to the barrel, a pipe for supplyingwater to the beer-pipe, and means for closing said air-supply pipe andsimultaneously opening a passage leading from said water-pipe to thebeer-pipe;

2. In beer apparatus, the combination, of a beer-pipe leading from thebarrel, a pipe for supplying air to the barrel, a pipe for supplyingwater to the beer-pipe, and a sin le stop-cock which closes thebeer-pipe and t 1e air-pipe and simultaneously opens the waterpipewhereby when the air is cut off from the barrel the beer-pipe isflushed.

3. In beer apparatus, the combination, with a beer-pipe leading from thebarrel, of a pipe for supplying air under pressure to the barrel, a pipeto supply water to the beerpipe, and asingle stop-cock arranged in thebeer-pipe intermediately of its length adjacent to the connection of thelatter with the :water-pipe and operative to close the airsupplies airto the barrel, a stop-cock which opens said beer-supply pipe below itsconnection with the water-pipe and opens said air-pipe whilesimultaneously closing the.

water-pipe, a by-pass pipe connecting the beer-supply pipe at oppositesides of said stop-cock, and a valve in said by-pass pipe. In testimony,that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name inpresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES MELDAU.

, 'Witnesses:

PAUL GoEPEL, JOHN A. E. WARD.

